ERIC UGLUM

• From Apple Valley, California (born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky).
• 1986, a founding member of Weary Hearts, with Ron Block, Butch Baldassari and Mike Bub. Eric played guitar.
• 1988, formed New Wine, with Ron and Sandra Block and Rob Ickes.
• 1992, formed Copperline, with Janet Beazley, Bud Bierhaus and Marshall Andrews.
• 1997, joined Lost Highway, playing mandolin.
• Owns a recording studio, New Wine Studios.
• 2003, released first solo album.
• 2004, released Shenandoah Wind album (Backcountry).
• 2006, formed a trio with his stepsons Christian and Austin Ward. Released a CD called The Old Road to Jerusalem (Backcountry).
• 2007, he (along with stepsons Christian and Austin Ward) joined Chris Stuart and BackCountry.

DONNA ULISSE

• From Hampton, Virginia
• Name is pronounced “You-liss-ee.”
• Began singing at age 3 by wandering onstage with a bluegrass band at a family Bar-B-Q
• Married to Rick Stanley, a cousin of Ralph and Carter. Ralph and the Clinch Mountain Boys performed at her wedding reception. Rick Stanley had his own band called Bad Ridge.
• 1980, moved to Nashville and began working as a background session singer. Her first harmony session was on a Jerry Reed album.
• 1991, signed by Atlantic Records. Released country album Trouble at the Door,
• Appeared on CMT “Hot Country Nights,” “Nashville Now,” “Hee Haw.”
• 2007, released her first bluegrass album When I Look Back (Hadley Music Group) featuring her original songs. Produced by Keith Sewell.
• 2009, released Walk This Mountain Down album(Hadley Music Group). Produced by Keith Sewell
• 2010, released gospel album Holy Waters (Hadley Music Group) featuring twelve original songs and one Carter Stanley song. Produced by Keith Sewell
• 2011, released An Easy Climb album (Hadley Music Group) featuring her original songs. Produced by Keith Sewell.
• 2012, released I Am A Child Of God album (Hadley Music Group).
• 2013, released All The Way To Bethlehem album(Hadley Music Group), the story of Christmas in original songs.
• 2013, released Showin’ My Roots album (Hadley Music Group).
• 2014, authored a book about her songwriting career titled The Songwriter in Me:Snapshots of My Creative Process (published by Hadley Music Group).
• 2015, released companion CD The Songwriter In Me:The Demo Recordings for her book (Hadley Music Group).
• 2015, released Hard Cry Moonalbum (Hadley Music Group), produced by Bryan Sutton.
• 2016, won the IBMA Award for Songwriter of the Year.

UNCLE EARL

• Formed in 1999 by K.C. Groves (guitar, mandolin) and Jo Serrapere (vocals). They were originally a duo backed by guest musicians such as Tahmineh Gueramy (fiddle), Amanda Kowalski (bass), Casey Henry (banjo) and Sally Truitt (bass).
• 2002, released first album “She Went Upstairs” (no label) featuring Groves and Serrapere with guests Sally Van Meter and Laurie Lewis.
• They sometimes refer to themselves as the g’Earls.
• 2003-2010, the band included Groves, Abigail Washburn (banjo), Rayna Gellert (fiddle) and Kristen Andreasson (guitar).
• Groves has recorded several solo projects of folk, old-time and bluegrass music. She lives in Colorado.
• Banjo player Abigail Washburn also performs and records as a solo artist, specializing a blend of American and Chinese folk music. In 2009, she married Bela Fleck and performs with him in the Sparrow Quartet as well as a duo.
• Kristen Andreasson is also a member of the Maryland-based Footworks, a percussive dance group. She lives in Woodstock, NY.
• Rayna Gellert (from North Carolina) is a former member of the Freight Hoppers.
• 2005, released She Waits For Night album (Rounder).
• 2007, released Waterloo, Tennessee album (Rounder) produced by John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin).
• 2010, band included Groves, Andreasson, Stephanie Coleman (fiddle), Paula Bradley (banjo) and Rachel Eddy ( banjo, fiddle, and bass.)

UNION KUN-TREE

• From Arkansas.
• Began as the Chitlin Switch Road Runners in the mid-1950’s (performing on a radio station in El Dorado, Arkansas). They also appeared on the Louisiana Hayride.
• 1980, changed name to Bluegrass Kun-Tree, recorded several albums under that name.
• 2005, re-emerged as Union Kun-Tree.
• Original lead singer Joe Wilson died in 1984. His son Joe Wilson, Jr. took his place in the band, playing banjo.
• Celebrated 50 years as a band in 2005.

GEOFF UNION (RAGGED UNION)

• From Fayetteville, North Carolina. Also has lived in Austin, Texas and Golden, Colorado.
• 2002-2009, played guitar with the Two High String Band (Austin, Texas). He also performed in a duo with mandolinist Billy Bright.
• 2009, released first solo project Big Sky Tonight (no label).
• 2012, released Cold As Steel album (no label).
• 2013, formed a short-lived band called Texas Express.
• 2013, moved to Golden, Colorado from Austin and formed a band with his wife Christina (vocals) called Ragged Union.
• 2015, released “Hard Row to Hoe” album (Ragged Union/no label).

UNLIMITED TRADITION

• From Wheelersburg, Ohio.
• Formed in 1993 by Ray Craft (guitar, lead vocals), John Lewis (banjo), Jason Hale (guitar) and Scottie Sparks (guitar) and Shayne Bartley (mandolin). Other members of this band at various times: Jack Hicks (banjo), Steve Huber (banjo), Harold Nixon (bass) and Randy Kohrs (Dobro™).
• 1996, won the SPBGMA Band Championship in Nashville
• 1997, recorded self-titled album for Doobie Shea Records.
• 2000, disbanded.
• 2008, Bartley and Craft re-formed the group with Bobby Hicks playing fiddle on selected dates.

UNSPOKEN TRADITION

• From Cherryville, North Carolina.
• Formed in 2011 by Lee Shuford (Dobro™), Audie McGinnis (guitar) and Zane McGinnis (banjo). Other band members include Matt Warren (bass), Tim Gardner (fiddle) and Ty Gilpin (mandolin).
• Their motto: “We play working class bluegrass.”
• 2013, released Simple Little Town album (no label).
• 2015, released Miles Between album (no label).
• 2018, released Myths We Tell Our Young album (Mountain Home).
• 2019, bassist/vocalist Sav Sankarin joined the band.
• 2022, released Imaginary Lines album (Mountain Home).

THE URBAN MONROES

• From Spokane, Washington
• Band members: Fran Kent (guitar and vocals), Matt Gray (banjo), Jeff Shippy (fiddle) and Jason Mellow (bass).
• 2008, released “One Fret Makes a Difference” album.
• 2010, released “Pavement and Pathways” album.